The “most pernicious movie” at the Oscars, according to MSNBC opinion editor Zeeshan Aleem, is “Top Gun: Maverick,” which portrays the U.S. military as a “beacon of morality.”
In a Saturday morning piece, Aleem criticised the “Best Picture” nomination for portraying America’s military positively and bemoaned the fact that the “literal propaganda” was “poised to become canonised as a highly acclaimed film.”
Sunday is the Academy Awards night.
The action movie, which nearly single-handedly revived the flagging film industry following the COVID-19 lockdowns’ stagnation, has received six Oscar nominations, including “Best Picture.”
Aleem admitted that he did not enjoy the movie as much as the vast majority of American moviegoers.
The columnist criticised it for being “as devious as it is amusing,” even though he acknowledged that it was “breath of fresh air to see dazzling live-action aerial battle scenes featuring actual actors (trained to endure G pressures by genuine pilots) and (mainly) real planes.”
It also beckons for a return to accepting the American war machine as a beacon of virtue and excitement, he said, making it sinister because of its overt pride for the American military.
It’s a poisonous type of nostalgia, Aleem said, one that cloaks a love of never-ending conflict under a celebration of live action.
The columnist condensed the movie’s themes of family, country, and patriotism.
He explained, “The makers of the film agreed to enable the Defense Department to include its own ‘important talking points’ in the script in exchange for access to military aircraft.
But even more crucially, in order to get the Pentagon’s support, the script has to be crafted in a way that flatters the military.Their partnership in jingoism is so apparent throughout the entire script, Aleem stated.
He added, “It’s possible to make exhilarating action without so openly preparing the public for warfare,” in another section of his column, that he hoped the movie “tanks at the Oscars.”
Aleem then referred to the top-secret aircraft that was seen during a test flight at the beginning of the movie, suggesting that this scene is evidence that “Maverick is also functioning on behalf of more sinister interests.”
Aleem then pointed to the top-secret aircraft featured at the outset of the film during a test flight, claiming this scene is proof “Maverick is also operating on behalf of more nefarious forces.”
He added, “It’s possible to make exhilarating action without so openly preparing the public for warfare,” in another section of his column, that he hoped the movie “tanks at the Oscars.”
Aleem then referred to the top-secret aircraft that was seen during a test flight at the beginning of the movie, suggesting that this scene is evidence that “Maverick is also functioning on behalf of more sinister interests.”
He returned to a general critique of the film, saying, “War is portrayed purely as a source of glory and camaraderie for Maverick and his colleagues, who are all attractive people and manage to pull off their daring mission with zero casualties. Their training involves speed, sport and glamour.”
He added, “Much of the movie has the feel of a racing or sports movie, gamifying the use of lethal technology and geopolitical intervention as a contest of precise oneupmanship.”
